Methods and systems for animating the interaction of objects in an object oriented program

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that allows a developer to animate the execution of compiled source code as a diagram. The developer may choose to stepwise animate one line of source code at a time. The developer may alternatively indicate at which line of source code the animation should end. In a further embodiment, the software development tool may end the animation when it detects an error.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/199,046, entitled “Software DevelopmentTool,” filed on Apr. 21, 2000, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/680,063, entitled “Method and System forDeveloping Software,” filed on Oct. 4, 2000, which claims the benefit ofthe filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/157,826, entitled“Visual Unified Modeling Language Development Tool,” filed on Oct. 5,1999, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/199,046, entitled“Software Development Tool,” filed on Apr. 21, 2000; all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The following identified U.S. patent applications are also reliedupon and are incorporated by reference in this application:

[0003] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,065, entitled “Method AndSystem For Displaying Changes Of Source Code,” filed on Oct. 4, 2000;

[0004] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,030, entitled “Method AndSystem For Generating, Applying, And Defining A Pattern,” filed on Oct.4, 2000;

[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,064, entitled “Method AndSystem For Collapsing A Graphical Representation Of Related Elements,”filed on Oct. 4, 2000;

[0006] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Generating Source Code for Object Oriented Elements,”bearing attorney docket no. 30013630-0008, and filed on the same dateherewith;

[0007] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Relating Data Structures and Object Oriented Elements forDistributed Computing,” bearing attorney docket no. 30013630-0009, andfiled on the same date herewith;

[0008] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Finding Specific Line Of Source Code,” bearing attorneydocket no. 30013630-0011, and filed on the same date herewith;

[0009] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Finding and Displaying Linked Objects,” bearing attorneydocket no. 30013630-0012, and filed on the same date herewith;

[0010] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Supporting and Deploying Distributed Computing Components,”bearing attorney docket no. 30013630-0014, and filed on the same dateherewith;

[0011] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “DiagrammaticControl of a Software in a Version Control System,” bearing attorneydocket no. 30013630-0015, and filed on the same date herewith;

[0012] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “NavigationLinks in Generated Documentation,” bearing attorney docket no.30013630-0016, and filed on the same date herewith;

[0013] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Identifying Dependencies Between Object-Oriented Elements,”bearing attorney docket no. 30013630-0019, and filed on the same dateherewith; and

[0014] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods andSystems for Relating a Data Definition File and a Data Model forDistributed Computing,” bearing attorney docket no. 30013630-0020, andfiled on the same date herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention relates to a method and system fordeveloping software. More particularly, the invention relates to amethod and system for animating the execution of compiled code as adiagram.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Computer instructions are written in source code. Although askilled programmer can understand source code to determine what the codeis designed to accomplish, with highly complex software systems, agraphical representation or model of the source code is helpful toorganize and visualize the structure and components of the system. Usingmodels, the complex systems are easily identified, and the structuraland behavioral patterns can be visualized and documented.

[0017] The well-known Unified Modeling Language (UML) is ageneral-purpose notational language for visualizing, specifying,constructing, and documenting complex software systems. UML is used tomodel systems ranging from business information systems to Web-baseddistributed systems, to real-time embedded systems. UML formalizes thenotion that real-world objects are best modeled as self-containedentities that contain both data and functionality. UML is more clearlydescribed in the following references, which are incorporated herein byreference: (1) Martin Fowler, UML Distilled Second Edition: Applying theStandard Object Modeling Language, Addison-Wesley (1999); (2) Booch,Rumbaugh, and Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide,Addison-Wesley (1998); (3) Peter Coad, Jeff DeLuca, and Eric Lefebvre,Java Modeling in Color with UML: Enterprise Components and Process,Prentice Hall (1999); and (4) Peter Coad, Mark Mayfield, and JonathanKern, Java Design: Building Better Apps & Applets (2nd Ed.), PrenticeHall (1998).

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, conventional software development tools 100allow a programmer to view UML 102 while viewing source code 104. Thesource code 104 is stored in a file, and a reverse engineering module106 converts the source code 104 into a representation of the softwareproject in a database or repository 108. The software project comprisessource code 104 in at least one file which, when compiled, forms asequence of instructions to be run by the data processing system. Therepository 108 generates the UML 102. If any changes are made to the UML102, they are automatically reflected in the repository 108, and a codegenerator 110 converts the representation in the repository 108 intosource code 104. Such software development tools 100, however, do notsynchronize the displays of the UML 102 and the source code 104. Rather,the repository 108 stores the representation of the software projectwhile the file stores the source code 104. A modification in the UML 102does not appear in the source code 104 unless the code generator 110re-generates the source code 104 from the data in the repository 108.When this occurs, the entire source code 104 is rewritten. Similarly,any modifications made to the source code 104 do not appear in the UML102 unless the reverse engineering module 106 updates the repository108. As a result, redundant information is stored in the repository 108and the source code 104. In addition, rather than making incrementalchanges to the source code 104, conventional software development tools100 rewrite the overall source code 104 when modifications are made tothe UML 102, resulting in wasted processing time. This type of manual,large-grained synchronization requires either human intervention, or a“batch” style process to try to keep the two views (the UML 102 and thesource code 104) in sync. Unfortunately, this approach, adopted by manytools, leads to many undesirable side-effects; such as desired changesto the source code being overwritten by the tool. A further disadvantagewith conventional software development tools 100 is that they aredesigned to only work in a single programming language. Thus, a tool 100that is designed for Java™ programs cannot be utilized to develop aprogram in C++. There is a need in the art for a tool that avoids thelimitations of these conventional software development tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Methods and systems consistent with the present invention providean improved software development tool that overcomes the limitations ofconventional software development tools. The improved softwaredevelopment tool of the present invention allows a developer tosimultaneously view a graphical and a textual display of source code.The graphical and textual views are synchronized so that a modificationin one view is automatically reflected in the other view. In addition,the software development tool is designed for use with more than oneprogramming language.

[0020] Contrary to a conventional debugger, that provides a textualdisplay of the executed lines of code, methods and systems consistentwith the present invention animate the graphical representation of thesource code as the software development tool steps through the code. Theanimation may proceed through the entire source code withoutinterruption. Alternatively, the animation may continue until thesoftware development tool prompts the animation to end. For example, thesoftware development tool may proceed through each line of source codeuntil the next line causes an object or a link to be displayed in avisually distinctive manner, e.g., the object or link may behighlighted, the color of the object or link may change, the font of thetext within the object may change, or the thickness of the link maychange. In another embodiment, the developer may indicate at which linethe animation should end. In yet another embodiment, the softwaredevelopment tool compiles and debugs the line of code, and the animationproceeds until the software development tool detects an error in thesource code.

[0021] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, wherein the graphical representationhas portions that correspond to the lines, initiating an automatedprocess that processes each of the lines, and while the automatedprocess processes each of the lines, displaying the portion of thegraphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.

[0022] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, wherein the graphical representationhas portions that correspond to the lines, and for each of the lines,displaying the portion of the graphical representation that correspondsto the line in a visually distinctive manner such that it appears thatprogression through the code is animated.

[0023] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of lines such that at least one of thelines is not represented in the graphical representation, initiating anautomated process on each of the lines of the source code, receiving anindication to suspend the automated process when the automated processencounters one of the lines that is represented in the graphicalrepresentation, and while the automated process is being performed oneach of the lines of source code, determining whether the line isrepresented in the graphical representation, and when it is determinedthat the line is represented in the graphical representation, suspendingthe automated process.

[0024] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, initiating an automated process to beperformed on each of the lines of the source code, receiving anindication to suspend the automated process when the automated processencounters a selected one of the lines, and while the automated processis being performed on each of the lines of source code, determiningwhether the line is the selected line, and when it is determined thatthe line is the selected line, suspending the automated process.

[0025] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, receiving an indication of a first ofthe plurality of lines of the source code, selecting a second of theplurality of lines of the source code, determining whether the secondline is the same as the first line, and when it is determined that thesecond line is not the same as the first line, displaying the graphicalrepresentation of the second line in a visually distinctive manner.

[0026] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of lines such that at least one of thelines is not represented in the graphical representation, initiating anautomated process on each of the lines of the source code, while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, compiling the line, determining whether the compiled line producesan error, and when it is determined that the compiled line produces theerror, suspending the automated process.

[0027] In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention,a method is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem comprises source code, and the source code comprises a pluralityof lines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, selecting one of the plurality oflines of the source code, compiling the selected line, determiningwhether the compiled line produces an error, and when it is determinedthat the compiled line does not produce an error, displaying thegraphical representation of the selected line in a visually distinctivemanner.

[0028] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, wherein the graphical representationhas portions that correspond to the lines, initiating an automatedprocess that processes each of the lines, and while the automatedprocess processes each of the lines, displaying the portion of thegraphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.

[0029] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, wherein the graphical representationhas portions that correspond to the lines, and for each of the lines,displaying the portion of the graphical representation that correspondsto the line in a visually distinctive manner such that it appears thatprogression through the code is animated.

[0030] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of lines such that at least one of thelines is not represented in the graphical representation, initiating anautomated process on each of the lines of the source code, receiving anindication to suspend the automated process when the automated processencounters one of the lines that is represented in the graphicalrepresentation, and while the automated process is being performed oneach of the lines of source code, determining whether the line isrepresented in the graphical representation, and when it is determinedthat the line is represented in the graphical representation, suspendingthe automated process.

[0031] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, initiating an automated process to beperformed on each of the lines of the source code, receiving anindication to suspend the automated process when the automated processencounters a selected one of the lines, and while the automated processis being performed on each of the lines of source code, determiningwhether the line is the selected line, and when it is determined thatthe line is the selected line, suspending the automated process.

[0032] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, receiving an indication of a first ofthe plurality of lines of the source code, selecting a second of theplurality of lines of the source code, determining whether the secondline is the same as the first line, and when it is determined that thesecond line is not the same as the first line, displaying the graphicalrepresentation of the second line in a visually distinctive manner.

[0033] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of lines such that at least one of thelines is not represented in the graphical representation, initiating anautomated process on each of the lines of the source code, while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, compiling the line, determining whether the compiled line producesan error, and when it is determined that the compiled line produces theerror, suspending the automated process.

[0034] In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with thepresent invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. Thecomputer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method. The data processing systemcomprises source code, and the source code comprises a plurality oflines. The method comprises the steps of displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, selecting one of the plurality oflines of the source code, compiling the selected line, determiningwhether the compiled line produces an error, and when it is determinedthat the compiled line does not produce an error, displaying thegraphical representation of the selected line in a visually distinctivemanner.

[0035] Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the inventionwill be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate an implementation ofthe invention and, together with the description, serve to explain theadvantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,

[0037]FIG. 1 depicts a conventional software development tool;

[0038]FIG. 2 depicts an overview of a software development tool inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention;

[0039]FIG. 3 depicts a data structure of the language-neutralrepresentation created by the software development tool of FIG. 2;

[0040]FIG. 4 depicts representative source code;

[0041]FIG. 5 depicts the data structure of the language-neutralrepresentation of the source code of FIG. 4;

[0042]FIG. 6 depicts a data processing system suitable for practicingthe present invention;

[0043]FIG. 7 depicts an architectural overview of the softwaredevelopment tool of FIG. 2;

[0044]FIG. 8A depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays alist of predefined criteria which the software development tool checksin the source code;

[0045]FIG. 8B depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displaysthe definition of the criteria which the software development toolchecks in the source code, and an example of source code which does notconform to the criteria;

[0046]FIG. 8C depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displaysan example of source code which conforms to the criteria which thesoftware development tool checks in the source code;

[0047]FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool depicted in FIG. 2;

[0048]FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a flow diagram illustrating the updatemodel step of FIG. 9;

[0049]FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool in FIG. 2 when creating a class;

[0050]FIG. 12 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays ause case diagram of source code;

[0051]FIG. 13 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displaysboth a class diagram and a textual view of source code;

[0052]FIG. 14 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays asequence diagram of source code;

[0053]FIG. 15 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays acollaboration diagram of source code;

[0054]FIG. 16 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays astatechart diagram of source code;

[0055]FIG. 17 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displaysan activity diagram of source code;

[0056]FIG. 18 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays acomponent diagram of source code;

[0057]FIG. 19 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays adeployment diagram of source code;

[0058]FIG. 20 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool depicted in FIG. 2 using a first embodiment ofthe animation feature, in accordance with methods and systems consistentwith the present invention;

[0059]FIG. 21 depicts a user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays asequence diagram of source code;

[0060]FIG. 22 depicts the user interface of FIG. 21 after a first stepof the animation;

[0061]FIG. 23 depicts the user interface of FIG. 22 after a second stepof the animation;

[0062]FIG. 24 depicts the user interface of FIG. 23 after a third stepof the animation;

[0063]FIG. 25 depicts the user interface of FIG. 24 after a fourth stepof the animation;

[0064]FIG. 26 depicts the user interface of FIG. 25 after a fifth stepof the animation;

[0065]FIG. 27 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool depicted in FIG. 2 using a second embodimentof the animation feature, in accordance with methods and systemsconsistent with the present invention;

[0066]FIG. 28 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool depicted in FIG. 2 using a third embodiment ofthe animation feature, in accordance with methods and systems consistentwith the present invention; and

[0067]FIG. 29 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool depicted in FIG. 2 using a fourth embodimentof the animation feature, in accordance with methods and systemsconsistent with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0068] Methods and systems consistent with the present invention providean improved software development tool that creates a graphicalrepresentation of source code regardless of the programming language inwhich the code is written. In addition, the software development toolsimultaneously reflects any modifications to the source code to both thedisplay of the graphical representation as well as the textual displayof the source code.

[0069] As depicted in FIG. 2, source code 202 is being displayed in botha graphical form 204 and a textual form 206. In accordance with methodsand systems consistent with the present invention, the improved softwaredevelopment tool generates a transient meta model (TMM) 200 which storesa language-neutral representation of the source code 202. The graphical204 and textual 206 representations of the source code 202 are generatedfrom the language-neutral representation in the TMM 200. Althoughmodifications made on the displays 204 and 206 may appear to modify thedisplays 204 and 206, in actuality all modifications are made directlyto the source code 202 via an incremental code editor (ICE) 208, and theTMM 200 is used to generate the modifications in both the graphical 204and the textual 206 views from the modifications to the source code 202.

[0070] The improved software development tool provides simultaneousround-trip engineering, i.e., the graphical representation 204 issynchronized with the textual representation 206. Thus, if a change ismade to the source code 202 via the graphical representation 204, thetextual representation 206 is updated automatically. Similarly, if achange is made to the source code 202 via the textual representation206, the graphical representation 204 is updated to remain synchronized.There is no repository, no batch code generation, and no risk of losingcode.

[0071] The data structure 300 of the language-neutral representation isdepicted in FIG. 3. The data structure 300 comprises a Source CodeInterface (SCI) model 302, an SCI package 304, an SCI class 306, and anSCI member 308. The SCI model 302 is the source code organized intopackages. The SCI model 302 corresponds to a directory for a softwareproject being developed by the user, and the SCI package 304 correspondsto a subdirectory. The software project comprises the source code in atleast one file that is compiled to form a sequence of instructions to berun by a data processing system. The data processing system is discussedin detail below. As is well known in object-oriented programming, theclass 306 is a category of objects which describes a group of objectswith similar properties (attributes), common behavior (operations ormethods), common relationships to other objects, and common semantics.The members 308 comprise attributes and/or operations.

[0072] For example, the data structure 500 for the source code 400depicted in FIG. 4 is depicted in FIG. 5. UserInterface 402 is definedas a package 404. Accordingly, UserInterface 402 is contained in SCIpackage 502. Similarly, Bank 406, which is defined as a class 408, iscontained in SCI class 504, and Name 410 and Assets 412, which aredefined as attributes (strings 414), are contained in SCI members 506.Since these elements are in the same project, all are linked. The datastructure 500 also identifies the language in which the source code iswritten 508, e.g., the Java™ language.

[0073]FIG. 6 depicts a data processing system 600 suitable forpracticing methods and systems consistent with the present invention.Data processing system 600 comprises a memory 602, a secondary storagedevice 604, an I/O device 606, and a processor 608. Memory 602 includesthe improved software development tool 610. The software developmenttool 610 is used to develop a software project 612, and create the TMM200 in the memory 602. The project 612 is stored in the secondarystorage device 604 of the data processing system 600. One skilled in theart will recognize that data processing system 600 may containadditional or different components.

[0074] Although aspects of the present invention are described as beingstored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that theseaspects can also be stored on or read from other types ofcomputer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like harddisks, floppy disks or CD-ROM; a carrier wave from a network, such asInternet; or other forms of RAM or ROM either currently known or laterdeveloped.

[0075]FIG. 7 illustrates an architectural overview of the improvedsoftware development tool 610. The tool 610 comprises a core 700, anopen application program interface (API) 702, and modules 704. The core700 includes a parser 706 and an ICE 208. The parser 706 converts thesource code into the language-neutral representation in the TMM, and theICE 208 converts the text from the displays into source code. There arethree main packages composing the API 702: Integrated DevelopmentEnvironment (IDE) 708; Read-Write Interface (RWI) 710; and Source CodeInterface (SCI) 712. Each package includes corresponding subpackages. Asis well known in the art, a package is a collection of attributes,notifications, operations, or behaviors that are treated as a singlemodule or program unit.

[0076] IDE 708 is the API 702 needed to generate custom outputs based oninformation contained in a model. It is a read-only interface, i.e., theuser can extract information from the model, but not change the model.IDE 708 provides the functionality related to the model's representationin IDE 708 and interaction with the user. Each package composing the IDEgroup has a description highlighting the areas of applicability of thisconcrete package.

[0077] RWI 710 enables the user to go deeper into the architecture.Using RWI 710, information can be extracted from and written to themodels. RWI not only represents packages, classes and members, but itmay also represent different diagrams (class diagrams, use casediagrams, sequence diagrams and others), links, notes, use cases,actors, states, etc.

[0078] SCI 712 is at the source code level, and allows the user to workwith the source code almost independently of the language being used.

[0079] There are a variety of modules 704 in the software developmenttool 610 of the present invention. Some of the modules 704 accessinformation to generate graphical and code documentation in customformats, export to different file formats, or develop patterns. Thesoftware development tool also includes a quality assurance (QA) modulewhich monitors the modifications to the source code and calculates thecomplexity metrics, i.e., the measurement of the program's performanceor efficiency, to support quality assurance. The types of metricscalculated by the software development tool include basic metrics,cohesion metrics, complexity metrics, coupling metrics, Halsteadmetrics, inheritance metrics, maximum metrics, polymorphism metrics, andratio metrics. Examples of these metrics with their respectivedefinitions are identified in Tables 1-9 below. TABLE 1 Basic MetricsBasic Metrics Description Lines Of Code Counts the number of code lines.Number Of Attributes Counts the number of attributes. If a class has ahigh number of attributes, it may be appropriate to divide it intosubclasses. Number Of Classes Counts the number of classes. Number OfImport Counts the number of imported packages/classes. Statement Thismeasure can highlight excessive importing, and also can be used as ameasure of coupling. Number Of Members Counts the number of members,i.e., attributes and operations. If a class has a high number ofmembers, it may be appropriate to divide it into subclasses. Number OfOperations Counts the number of operations. If a class has a high numberof operations, it may be appropriate to divide it into subclasses.

[0080] TABLE 2 Cohesion Metrics Cohesion Metrics Description Lack OfCohesion Of Takes each pair of methods in the class Methods 1 anddetermines the set of fields they each access. A low value indicateshigh coupling between methods, which indicates potentially lowreusability and increased testing because many methods can affect thesame attributes. Lack Of Cohesion Of Counts the percentage of methodsthat Methods 2 do not access a specific attribute averaged over allattributes in the class. A high value of cohesion (a low lack ofcohesion) implies that the class is well designed. Lack Of Cohesion OfMeasures the dissimilarity of methods Methods 3 in a class byattributes. A low value indicates good class subdivision, implyingsimplicity and high reusability. A high lack of cohesion increasescomplexity, thereby increasing the likelihood of errors during thedevelopment process.

[0081] TABLE 3 Complexity Metrics Complexity Metrics DescriptionAttribute Complexity Defined as the sum of each attribute’s value in theclass. Cyclomatic Represents the cognitive complexity of the class.Complexity It counts the number of possible paths through an algorithmby counting the number of distinct regions on a flowgraph, i.e., thenumber of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and ‘while’ statements in the operation’s body.Number Of Remote Processes all of the methods and constructors, andMethods counts the number of different remote methods called. A remotemethod is defined as a method which is not declared in either the classitself or its ancestors. Response For Class Calculated as ‘Number ofLocal Methods’ + ‘Number of Remote Methods.’ A class which provides alarger response set is considered to be more complex and requires moretesting than one with a smaller overall design complexity. WeightedMethods Per The sum of the complexity of all methods for Class 1 aclass, where each method is weighted by its cyclomatic complexity. Thenumber of methods and the complexity of the methods involved is apredictor of how much time and effort is required to develop andmaintain the class. Weighted Methods Per Measures the complexity of aclass, assuming Class 2 that a class with more methods than another ismore complex, and that a method with more parameters than another isalso likely to be more complex.

[0082] TABLE 4 Coupling Metrics Coupling Metrics Description CouplingBetween Represents the number of other classes to which a Objects classis coupled. Counts the number of reference types that are used inattribute declarations, formal parameters, return types, throwsdeclarations and local variables, and types from which attribute andmethod selections are made. Excessive coupling between objects isdetrimental to modular design and prevents reuse. The more independent aclass is, the easier it is to reuse it in another application. In orderto improve modularity and promote encapsulation, inter-object classcouples should be kept to a minimum. The larger the number of couples,the higher the sensitivity to changes in other parts of the design, andtherefore maintenance is more difficult. A measure of coupling is usefulto determine how complex the testing of various parts of a design islikely to be. The higher the inter-object class coupling, the morerigorous the testing needs to be. Data Abstraction Counts the number ofreference types used in the Coupling attribute declarations. FanOutCounts the number of reference types that are used in attributedeclarations, formal parameters, return types, throws declarations andlocal variables.

[0083] TABLE 5 Halstead Metrics Halstead Metrics Description HalsteadDifficulty This measure is one of the Halstead Software Science metrics.It is calculated as (‘Number of Unique Operator’/‘Number of UniqueOperands’) * (‘Number of Operands’/ ‘Number of Unique Operands’).Halstead Effort This measure is one of the Halstead Software Sciencemetrics. It is calculated as ‘Halstead Difficulty’ * ‘Halstead ProgramVolume.’ Halstead Program This measure is one of the Halstead SoftwareLength Science metrics. It is calculated as ‘Number of Operators’ +‘Number of Operands.’ Halstead Program This measure is one of theHalstead Software Vocabulary Science metrics. It is calculated as‘Number of Unique Operators’ + ‘Number of Unique Operands.’ HalsteadProgram This measure is one of the Halstead Software Volume Sciencemetrics. It is calculated as ‘Halstead Program Length’ * Log2(‘HalsteadProgram Vocabulary’). Number Of Operands This measure is used as aninput to the Halstead Software Science metrics. It counts the number ofoperands used in a class. Number Of Operators This measure is used as aninput to the Halstead Software Science metrics. It counts the number ofoperators used in a class. Number Of Unique This measure is used as aninput to the Halstead Operands Software Science metrics. It counts thenumber of unique operands used in a class. Number Of Unique This measureis used as an input to the Halstead Operators Software Science metrics.It counts the number of unique operators used in a class.

[0084] TABLE 6 Inheritance Metrics Inheritance Metrics Description DepthOf Inheritance Counts how far down the inheritance hierarchy Hierarchy aclass or interface is declared. High values imply that a class is quitespecialized. Number Of Child Counts the number of classes which inheritfrom a Classes particular class, i.e., the number of classes in theinheritance tree down from a class. Non- zero value indicates that theparticular class is being re-used. The abstraction of the class may bepoor if there are too many child classes. It should also be stated thata high value of this measure points to the definite amount of testingrequired for each child class.

[0085] TABLE 7 Maximum Metrics Maximum Metrics Description MaximumNumber Of Counts the maximum depth of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and Levels ‘while’branches in the bodies of methods. Logical units with a large number ofnested levels may need implementation simplification and processimprovement because groups that contain more than seven pieces ofinformation are increasingly harder for people to understand in problemsolving. Maximum Number Of Displays the maximum number of parametersParameters among all class operations. Methods with many parameters tendto be more specialized and, thus, are less likely to be reusable.Maximum Size Of Counts the maximum size of the operations Operation fora class. Method size is determined in terms of cyclomatic complexity,i.e., the number of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and ‘while’ statements in theoperation’s body.

[0086] TABLE 8 Polymorphism Metrics Polymorphism Metrics DescriptionNumber Of Added Counts the number of operations added by a class. AMethods large value of this measure indicates that the functionality ofthe given class becomes increasingly distinct from that of the parentclasses. In this case, it should be considered whether this classgenuinely should be inheriting from the parent, or if it could be brokendown into several smaller classes. Number Of Counts the number ofinherited operations which a Overridden Methods class overrides. Classeswithout parents are not processed. High values tend to indicate designproblems, i.e., subclasses should generally add to and extend thefunctionality of the parent classes rather than overriding them.

[0087] TABLE 9 Ratio Metrics Ratio Metrics Description Comment RatioCounts the ratio of comments to total lines of code including comments.Percentage Of Package Counts the percentage of package members in aMembers class. Percentage Of Private Counts the percentage of privatemembers in a Members class. Percentage Of Counts the percentage ofprotected members in a Protected Members class. Percentage Of PublicCounts the proportion of vulnerable members in Members a class. A largeproportion of such members means that the class has high potential to beaffected by external classes and means that increased efforts will beneeded to test such a class thoroughly. True Comment Ratio Counts theratio of comments to total lines of code excluding comments.

[0088] The QA module also provides audits, i.e., the module checks forconformance to predefined or user-defined styles. The types of auditsprovided by the module include coding style, critical errors,declaration style, documentation, naming style, performance, possibleerrors and superfluous content. Examples of these audits with theirrespective definitions are identified in Tables 10-17 below. TABLE 10Coding Style Audits Coding Style Audits Description Access Of StaticStatic members should be referenced through Members Through class namesrather than through objects. Objects Assignment To Formal Formalparameters should not be assigned. Parameters Complex Assignment Checksfor the occurrence of multiple assignments and assignments to variableswithin the same expression. Complex assignments should be avoided sincethey decrease program readability. Don’t Use the The negation operatorslows down the readability Negation Operator of the program. Thus, it isrecommended that it Frequently not be used frequently. Operator ‘?:’ MayNot The operator ‘?:’ makes the code harder to Be Used read than thealternative form with an if- statement. Provide Incremental In Checks ifthe third argument of the ‘for’- For-Statement or use statement ismissing. while-statement Replacement For Demand import-declarations mustbe replaced by Demand Imports a list of single import-declarations thatare actually imported into the compilation unit. In other words,import-statements may not end with an asterisk. Use Abbreviated Use theabbreviated assignment operator in order Assignment Operator to writeprograms more rapidly. Also some compilers run faster with theabbreviated assignment operator. Use ‘this’ Explicitly Tries to make thedeveloper use ‘this’ explicitly To Access Class when trying to accessclass members. Using Members the same class member names with parameternames often makes what the developer is referring to unclear.

[0089] TABLE 11 Critical Errors Audits Critical Errors AuditsDescription Avoid Hiding Detects when attributes declared in childclasses Inherited Attributes hide inherited attributes. Avoid HidingDetects when inherited static operations are Inherited Static hidden bychild classes. Methods Command Query Prevents methods that return avalue from a Separation modifying state. The methods used to query thestate of an object must be different from the methods used to performcommands (change the state of the object). Hiding Of Names Declarationsof names should not hide other declarations of the same name.Inaccessible Overload resolution only considers constructors ConstructorOr and methods that are visible at the point of the Method Matches call.If, however, all the constructors and methods were considered, there maybe more matches. This rule is violated in this case. Imagine that ClassBis in a different package than ClassA. Then the allocation of ClassBviolates this rule since the second constructor is not visible at thepoint of the allocation, but it still matches the allocation (based onsignature). Also the call to open in ClassB violates this rule since thesecond and the third declarations of open are not visible at the pointof the call, but it still matches the call (based on signature).Multiple Visible Multiple declarations with the same name mustDeclarations With not be simultaneously visible except for over- SameName loaded methods. Overriding a Non- Checks for abstract methodsoverriding non- Abstract Method With abstract methods in a subclass. anAbstract Method Overriding a Private A subclass should not contain amethod with the Method same name and signature as in a superclass ifthese methods are declared to be private. Overloading Within a Asuperclass method may not be overloaded Subclass within a subclassunless all overloading in the superclass are also overridden in thesubclass. It is very unusual for a subclass to be overloading methods inits superclass without also overriding the methods it is overloading.More frequently this happens due to inconsistent changes between thesuperclass and subclass—i.e., the intention of the user is to overridethe method in the superclass, but due to the error, the subclass methodends up overloading the superclass method. Use of Static AttributeNon-final static attributes should not be used in for Initializationinitializations of attributes.

[0090] TABLE 12 Declaration Style Audits Declaration Style AuditsDescription Badly Located Array Array declarators must be placed next tothe type Declarators descriptor of their component type. ConstantPrivate Private attributes that never get their values Attributes MustBe changed must be declared final. By explicitly Final declaring them insuch a way, a reader of the source code get some information of how theattribute is supposed to be used. Constant Variables Local variablesthat never get their values Must Be Final changed must be declaredfinal. By explicitly declaring them in such a way, a reader of thesource code obtains information about how the variable is supposed to beused. Declare Variables In Several variables (attributes and localvariables) One Statement Each should not be declared in the samestatement. Instantiated Classes This rule recommends making allinstantiated Should Be Final classes final. It checks classes which arepresent in the object model. Classes from search/classpath are ignored.List All Public And Enforces a standard to improve readability. PackageMembers Methods/data in your class should be ordered First properly.Order Of Appearance Checks for correct ordering of modifiers. For OfModifiers classes, this includes visibility (public, protected orprivate), abstract, static, final. For attributes, this includesvisibility (public, protected or private), static, final, transient,volatile. For operations, this includes visibility (public, protected orprivate), abstract, static, final, synchronized, native. Put the MainFunction Tries to make the program comply with various Last codingstandards regarding the form of the class definitions.

[0091] TABLE 13 Documentation Audits Documentation Audits DescriptionBad Tag In JavaDoc This rule verifies code against accidental use ofComments improper JavaDoc tags. Distinguish Between Checks whether theJavaDoc comments in your JavaDoc And Ordinary program ends with ‘**/’and ordinary C-style Comments ones with ‘*/.’

[0092] TABLE 14 Naming Style Audits Naming Style Audits DescriptionClass Name Must Checks whether top level classes or interfaces Match ItsFile Name have the same name as the file in which they reside. GroupOperations Enforces standard to improve readability. With Same NameTogether Naming Conventions Takes a regular expression and item name andreports all occurrences where the pattern does not match thedeclaration. Names Of Exception Names of classes which inherit fromException Classes should end with Exception. Use ConventionalOne-character local variable or parameter names Variable Names should beavoided, except for temporary and looping variables, or where a variableholds an undistinguished value of a type.

[0093] TABLE 15 Performance Audits Performance Audits Description AvoidDeclaring This rule recommends declaring local variables VariablesInside Loops outside the loops since declaring variables inside the loopis less efficient. Append To String Performance enhancements can beobtained by Within a Loop replacing String operations with StringBufferoperations if a String object is appended within a loop. Complex LoopAvoid using complex expressions as repeat Expressions conditions withinloops.

[0094] TABLE 16 Possible Error Audits Possible Error Audits DescriptionAvoid Public And Declare the attributes either private or protected,Package Attributes and provide operations to access or change them.Avoid Statements Avoid statements with empty body. With Empty BodyAssignment To For- ‘For’-loop variables should not be assigned. LoopVariables Don't Compare Avoid testing for equality of floating pointFloating Point Types numbers since floating-point numbers that should beequal are not always equal due to rounding problems. Enclosing Body Thestatement of a loop must always be a block. Within a Block The ‘then’and ‘else’ parts of ‘if’ statements must always be blocks. This makes iteasier to add statements without accidentally introducing bugs in casethe developer forgets to add braces. Explicitly Initialize Explicitlyinitialize all variables. The only reason All Variables not toinitialize a variable is where it's declared is if the initial valuedepends on some computation occurring first. Method finalize() Callingof super.finalize() from finalize() is good Doesn't Call practice ofprogramming, even if the base class super.finalize() doesn't define thefinalize() method. This makes class implementations less dependent oneach other. Mixing Logical An expression containing multiple logicalOperators Without operators should be parenthesized properly.Parentheses No Assignments In Use of assignment within conditions makesthe Conditional source code hard to understand. Expressions Use ‘equals’Instead The ‘==’ operator used on strings checks if two Of ‘==’ stringobjects are two identical objects. In most situations, however, onelikes to simply check if two strings have the same value. In thesecases, the ‘equals’ method should be used. Use ‘L’ Instead Of ‘l’ It isbetter to use uppercase ‘L’ to distinguish the at the end of integerletter ‘l’ from the number ‘1.’ constant Use Of the The ‘synchronized’modifier on methods can ‘synchronized’ sometimes cause confusion duringmaintenance as Modifier well as during debugging. This rule thereforerecommends against using this modifier, and instead recommends using‘synchronized’ statements as replacements.

[0095] TABLE 17 Superfluous Content Audits Superfluous Content AuditsDescription Duplicate Import There should be at most one importdeclaration Declarations that imports a particular class/package. Don'tImport the No classes or interfaces need to be imported from Package theSource the package to which the source code file belongs. File BelongsTo Everything in that package is available without explicit importstatements. Explicit Import Of the Explicit import of classes from thepackage java.lang Classes ‘java.lang’ should not be performed. EqualityOperations Avoid performing equality operations on Boolean On Booleanoperands. ‘True’ and ‘false’ literals should not be Arguments used inconditional clauses. Imported Items Must It is not legal to import aclass or an interface and Be Used never use it. This rule checks classesand interfaces that are explicitly imported with their names—that is notwith import of a complete package, using an asterisk. If unused classand interface imports are omitted, the amount of meaningless source codeis reduced—thus the amount of code to be understood by a reader isminimized. Unnecessary Casts Checks for the use of type casts that arenot necessary. Unnecessary Verifies that the runtime type of theleft-hand side ‘instanceof’ expression is the same as the one specifiedon the Evaluations right-hand side. Unused Local Local variables andformal parameter declarations Variables And Formal must be used.Parameters Use Of Obsolete The modifier ‘abstract’ is consideredobsolete and Interface Modifier should not be used. Use Of UnnecessaryAll interface operations are implicitly public and Interface Memberabstract. All interface attributes are implicitly Modifiers public,final and static. Unused Private Class An unused class member mightindicate a logical Member flaw in the program. The class declaration hasto be reconsidered in order to determine the need of the unusedmember(s).

[0096] If the QA module determines that the source code does notconform, an error message is provided to the developer. For example, asdepicted in FIG. 8A, the software development tool checks for a varietyof coding styles 800. If the software development tool were to check for“Access Of Static Members Through Objects” 802, it would verify whetherstatic members are referenced through class names rather than throughobjects 804. Further, as depicted in FIG. 8B, if the softwaredevelopment tool were to check for “Complex Assignment” 806, thesoftware development tool would check for the occurrence of multipleassignments and assignments to variables within the same expression toavoid complex assignments since these decrease program readability 808.An example of source code having a complex assignment 810 and sourcecode having a non-complex assignment 812 are depicted in FIGS. 8B and8C, respectively. The QA module of the software development tool scansthe source code for other syntax errors well known in the art, asdescribed above, and provides an error message if any such errors aredetected.

[0097] The improved software development tool of the present inventionis used to develop source code in a project. The project comprises aplurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the pluralityof files is written in a given language. The software development tooldetermines the language of the source code of the chosen file, convertsthe source code from the language into a language-neutralrepresentation, uses the language-neutral representation to textuallydisplay the source code of the chosen file in the language, and uses thelanguage-neutral representation to display a graphical representation ofat least a portion of the project. The source code and the graphicalrepresentation are displayed simultaneously.

[0098] The improved software development tool of the present inventionis also used to develop source code. The software development toolreceives an indication of a selected language for the source code,creates a file to store the source code in the selected language,converts the source code from the selected language into alanguage-neutral representation, uses the language-neutralrepresentation to display the source code of the file, and uses thelanguage-neutral representation to display a graphical representation ofthe file. Again, the source code and the graphical representation aredisplayed simultaneously.

[0099] Moreover, if the source code in the file is modified, themodified source code and a graphical representation of at least aportion of the modified source code are displayed simultaneously. The QAmodule of the software development tool provides an error message if themodification does not conform to predefined or user-defined styles, asdescribed above. The modification to the source code may be receivedfrom the display of the source code, the display of the graphicalrepresentation of the project, or via some other independent software tomodify the code. The graphical representation of the project may be inUnified Modeling Language; however, one skilled in the art willrecognize that other graphical representations of the source code may bedisplayed. Further, although the present invention is described andshown using the various views of the UML, one of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that other views may be displayed.

[0100]FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by thesoftware development tool to develop a project in accordance withmethods and systems consistent with the present invention. As previouslystated, the project comprises a plurality of files. The developer eitheruses the software development tool to open a file that contains existingsource code, or to create a file in which the source code will bedeveloped. If the software development tool is used to open the file,determined in step 900, the software development tool initiallydetermines the programming language in which the code is written (step902). The language is identified by the extension of the file, e.g.,“.java” identifies source code written in the Java™ language, while“.cpp” identifies source code written in C++. The software developmenttool then obtains a template for the current programming language, i.e.,a collection of generalized definitions for the particular language thatcan be used to build the data structure (step 904). For example, thedefinition of a new Java™ class contains a default name, e.g., “Class1,”and the default code, “public class Class1 {}.” Such templates are wellknown in the art. For example, the “Microsoft Foundation Class Library”and the “Microsoft Word Template For Business Use Case Modeling” areexamples of standard template libraries from which programmers canchoose individual template classes. The software development tool usesthe template to parse the source code (step 906), and create the datastructure (step 908). After creating the data structure or if there isno existing code, the software development tool awaits an event, i.e., amodification or addition to the source code by the developer (step 910).If an event is received and the event is to close the file (step 912),the file is saved (step 914) and closed (step 916). Otherwise, thesoftware development tool performs the event (step 918), i.e., the toolmakes the modification. The software development tool then updates theTMM or model (step 920), as discussed in detail below, and updates boththe graphical and the textual views (step 922).

[0101]FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a flow diagram illustrating the updatemodel step of FIG. 9. The software development tool selects a file fromthe project (step 1000), and determines whether the file is new (step1002), whether the file has been updated (step 1004), or whether thefile has been deleted (step 1006). If the file is new, the softwaredevelopment tool adds the additional symbols from the file to the TMM(step 1008). To add the symbol to the TMM, the software development tooluses the template to parse the symbol to the TMM. If the file has beenupdated, the software development tool updates the symbols in the TMM(step 1010). Similar to the addition of a symbol to the TMM, thesoftware development tool uses the template to parse the symbol to theTMM. If the file has been deleted, the software development tool deletesthe symbols in the TMM (step 1012). The software development toolcontinues this analysis for all files in the project. After all filesare analyzed (step 1014), any obsolete symbols in the TMM (step 1016)are deleted (step 1018).

[0102]FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram illustrating the performance of anevent, specifically the creation of a class, in accordance with methodsand systems consistent with the present invention. After identifying theprogramming language (step 1100), the software development tool obtainsa template for the language (step 1102), creates a source code file inthe project directory (step 1104), and pastes the template onto the TMM(step 1106). The project directory corresponds to the SCI model 302 ofFIG. 3. Additional events which a developer may perform using thesoftware development tool include the creation, modification or deletionof packages, projects, attributes, interfaces, links, operations, andthe closing of a file.

[0103] The software development tool is collectively broken into threeviews of the application: the static view, the dynamic view, and thefunctional view. The static view is modeled using the use-case and classdiagrams. A use case diagram 1200, depicted in FIG. 12, shows therelationship among actors 1202 and use cases 1204 within the system1206. A class diagram 1300, depicted in FIG. 13 with its associatedsource code 1302, on the other hand, includes classes 1304, interfaces,packages and their relationships connected as a graph to each other andto their contents.

[0104] The dynamic view is modeled using the sequence, collaboration andstatechart diagrams. As depicted in FIG. 14, a sequence diagram 1400represents an interaction, which is a set of messages 1402 exchangedamong objects 1404 within a collaboration to effect a desired operationor result. In a sequence diagram 1400, the vertical dimension representstime and the horizontal dimension represents different objects. Acollaboration diagram 1500, depicted in FIG. 15, is also an interactionwith messages 1502 exchanged among objects 1504, but it is also acollaboration, which is a set of objects 1504 related in a particularcontext. Contrary to sequence diagrams 1400 (FIG. 14), which emphasizethe time ordering of messages along the vertical axis, collaborationdiagrams 1500 (FIG. 15) emphasize the structural organization ofobjects.

[0105] A statechart diagram 1600 is depicted in FIG. 16. The statechartdiagram 1600 includes the sequences of states 1602 that an object orinteraction goes through during its life in response to stimuli,together with its responses and actions. It uses a graphic notation thatshows states of an object, the events that cause a transition from onestate to another, and the actions that result from the transition.

[0106] The functional view can be represented by activity diagrams 1700and more traditional descriptive narratives such as pseudocode andminispecifications. An activity diagram 1700 is depicted in FIG. 17, andis a special case of a state diagram where most, if not all, of thestates are action states 1702 and where most, if not all, of thetransitions are triggered by completion of the actions in the sourcestates. Activity diagrams 1700 are used in situations where all or mostof the events represent the completion of internally generated actions.

[0107] There is also a fourth view mingled with the static view calledthe architectural view. This view is modeled using package, componentand deployment diagrams. Package diagrams show packages of classes andthe dependencies among them. Component diagrams 1800, depicted in FIG.18, are graphical representations of a system or its component parts.Component diagrams 1800 show the dependencies among software components,including source code components, binary code components and executablecomponents. As depicted in FIG. 19, Deployment diagrams 1900 are used toshow the distribution strategy for a distributed object system.Deployment diagrams 1900 show the configuration of run-time processingelements and the software components, processes and objects that live onthem.

[0108] Although discussed in terms of class diagrams, one skilled in theart will recognize that the software development tool of the presentinvention may support these and other graphical views.

Animation of Diagrams

[0109] To assist a developer in debugging source code, the softwaredevelopment tool displays the source code as well as a graphical displayof the source code, and as the software development tool compiles eachline of source code, the portion of the graphical representationcorresponding to the compiled source code is displayed in a visuallydistinct manner, e.g., highlighted. This allows a developer to visuallytrack the execution of the compiled code. As a result, the softwaredevelopment tool animates the execution of the source code. Theanimation may proceed through the entire source code withoutinterruption. Alternatively, the animation may continue until thesoftware development tool stops the animation. For example, the softwaredevelopment tool may proceed through each line of source code until thenext line causes an object or a link to be displayed in a visuallydistinctive manner. In another embodiment, the developer may indicate atwhich line the animation should end. In yet another embodiment, thesoftware development tool compiles and debugs the line of code, and theanimation proceeds until the software development tool detects an errorin the source code.

[0110]FIG. 20 depicts a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed bythe software development tool during the animation of the source code.In this embodiment, the software development tool initiates an automatedprocess that processes each of the lines. While the automated processprocesses each of the lines, the software development tool displays theportion of the graphical representation that corresponds to the line ina visually distinctive manner so that it visually appears thatprogression of the automated process is animated.

[0111] As discussed above, the software development tool uses the sourcecode to generate the TMM, which stores a language-neutral representationof the source code. The first step performed by the software developmenttool is to display a portion of the source code in a project (step2000). As discussed above, the text of the source code may be obtaineddirectly from the source code file, or it may be generated from thelanguage-neutral representation in the TMM. The software developmenttool uses the TMM to generate the graphical representation of the sourcecode in the project so that it is simultaneously displayed with thesource code (step 2002). For example, FIG. 21 depicts user interface2100 with both a graphical representation 2102 and a portion of the textof the source code 2104. The graphical representation 2102 depicted inFIG. 21 is a sequence diagram. As is well known, a sequence diagramdepicts object interactions arranged in a time sequence. In particular,it shows the objects participating in the interaction and the sequenceof messages exchanged by or between the objects. The messages indicatethe methods performed by or between the objects. Thus, in FIG. 21, thesequence diagram shows the interaction of Object1 2106 and CashSale2108. As depicted, Object1 2106 sends a message, “calcTotal():BigDecimal” 2110, to CashSale 2108. Thus, the software developmenttool performs the method calcTotal( ) between Object1 2106 and CashSale2108. The sequence diagram also illustrates that CashSale 2108 performsself-calls, i.e., messages that an object sends to itself. Theself-calls performed by CashSale 2108 are calcSubtotal( ):BigDecimal2112, getDetails( ):Enumeration 2114, and [iter.hasMoreElements()]calcTotal( ):BigDecimal 2116. These messages indicate methodsperformed by CashSale. The “[iter.hasMoreElements( )]” indicates thatCashSale repeatedly calls the method calcTotal( ). CashSale 2108 alsosends the message “calcPriceForQty(qty):BigDecimal” 2118 to the nextobject (not within view of the window). Thus, the software developmenttool performs the method calcPriceForQty(qty) between CashSale 2108 andthe next object (not within view of the window).

[0112] After displaying the source code, the software development toolselects the first line of source code and compiles it into object code(step 2004). Alternatively, the software development tool may obtain theobject code from an external tool, such as a debugger. After thesoftware development tool compiles each line of source code, thesoftware development tool displays the portion of the graphicalrepresentation that corresponds to the compiled line just compiled instep 2004 in a visually distinctive manner (step 2006). For example, thegraphical representation may be highlighted, the color of the graphicalrepresentation may change, the font of the text within the graphicalrepresentation may change, or the thickness of the links may change.Each line of source code typically represents either part of an object,or it represents the link between objects. Thus, the graphicalrepresentation of a line of source code refers to the graphicalrepresentation of the object containing the line of code or thegraphical representation of the interaction between objects. Forexample, the source code displayed in FIG. 21 includes the followingcode in Java™ programming language: public class CashSale {    publicfinal static double TAX_RATE = 0.06;    private Vector detailList;    .. .    public BigDecimal calcSubtotal() {       . . .    } }

[0113] As is well known, “public class CashSale” defines class“CashSale” 2108, shown in FIG. 21. Thus, after the software developmenttool compiles this line of source code, the software development tooldisplays “CashSale” 2108 in a visually distinctive manner. The next lineof source code, “public final static double TAX_RATE=0.06” represents apart of class “CashSale” 2108 rather than a method performed by orbetween the objects. Thus, this line does not alter the graphicalrepresentation of the source code because CashSale has already beendisplayed in a graphically distinctive manner. Similarly, “privateVector detailList” represents a part of the class “CashSale” 2108 anddoes not alter the graphical display. Contrary to the previous lines,the next line of source code, “public BigDecimal calcSubtotal( )” is amethod performed by object “CashSale” 2108. Accordingly, the softwaredevelopment tool represents the graphical representation of this method,i.e., calcSubtotal( ):BigDecimal 2112, in a graphically distinctivemanner. The software development tool uses the TMM to identify andvisually modify the portion of the graphical representation thatcorresponds to the compiled line of code.

[0114] Returning to the process defined by FIG. 20, the next stepperformed by the software development tool is to determine whether thereare any more lines of source code to be compiled (step 2008). If thereare any more lines of source code to be compiled, the softwaredevelopment tool compiles the next line of source code at step 2004. Ifthere are no more lines of code to compile, the process ends. An exampleof the animation performed by the software development tool using theprocess defined in FIG. 20 is depicted in FIGS. 21-26.

[0115] As discussed above, the graphical representation 2102 and aportion of the text of the source code 2104 are initially displayed. Asdepicted in the sequence diagram of FIG. 21, the method calcTotal( )2106 initially calls class CashSale 2108. The line 2208 of source code2204 shown in FIG. 22 defines method calcTotal( ). After the softwaredevelopment tool compiles this line 2208 of source code 2204, thesoftware development tool displays the graphical representation 2202 ofthe line 2206 in a visually distinctive manner on the user interface2200. The software development tool continues to compile each line ofsource code until it reaches line 2308 of the source code 2304 shown inthe user interface 2300 of FIG. 23. After the software development toolcompiles the line 2308 of source code 2304, the software developmenttool displays the graphical representation 2302 of the line 2306 in avisually distinctive manner. The software development continues tocompile each line of source code until it reaches line 2408 of thesource code 2404 shown in the user interface 2400 of FIG. 24. After thesoftware development tool compiles the line 2408 of source code 2404,the software development tool displays the graphical representation 2402of the line 2406 in a visually distinctive manner. The softwaredevelopment tool continues compiling additional lines of source codeuntil it reaches line 2508 of the source code 2504 shown in the userinterface 2500 of FIG. 25. After the software development tool compilesthe line 2508 of source code 2504, the software development tooldisplays the graphical representation 2502 of the line 2506 in avisually distinctive manner. Finally, the software development toolcompiles more lines of source code until it reaches line 2608 of thesource code 2604 shown in the user interface 2600 of FIG. 26. After thesoftware development tool compiles the line 2608 of source code 2604,the software development tool displays the graphical representation 2602of the line 2606 in a visually distinctive manner.

[0116] As discussed above, the software development tool may continueanimating the source code until the next line of code visibly modifiesof the graphical representation. In this embodiment, the softwaredevelopment tool receives an indication to suspend the automated processwhen the automated process encounters one of the lines that isrepresented in the graphical representation. While the automated processis being performed on each of the lines of source code, the softwaredevelopment tool determines whether the line is represented in thegraphical representation. If the line is represented in the graphicalrepresentation, the software development tool suspends the automatedprocess. FIG. 27 depicts this process. Initially, the softwaredevelopment tool displays the text of the source code (step 2700). Thesoftware development tool simultaneously displays a graphicalrepresentation of the source code (step 2702). The software developmenttool then selects a line of the source code (step 2704). The softwaredevelopment tool determines whether the selected line of source codeappears in the graphical representation in a visually distinctive manner(step 2706). If the selected line of source code does not appear in thegraphical representation in a visually distinctive manner, the softwaredevelopment tool displays the graphical representation of the selectedline of source code in a visually distinctive manner (step 2708). Atthis point, the software development tool visibly modified the graphicalrepresentation, and the process ends. If the selected line of sourcecode does appear in the graphical representation in a visuallydistinctive manner, the software development tool determines whetherthere are any more lines of source code (step 2710). If there are morelines of source code, the software development tool selects the nextline of source code in step 2704. If there are no more lines of sourcecode, the process ends.

[0117] In another embodiment, the animation continues until the softwaredevelopment tool reaches a line of source code selected by thedeveloper. The software development tool receives an indication tosuspend the automated process when the automated process encounters theselected line. While the automated process is being performed on each ofthe lines of source code, the software development tool determineswhether the line is the selected line. If the line is the selected line,the software development tool suspends the automated process.

[0118] In this embodiment, as with the previous examples, the softwaredevelopment tool initially displays the text of the source code (step2800). The software development tool simultaneously displays thegraphical representation of the source code (step 2802). The softwaredevelopment tool receives an indication of a line of source code fromthe developer (step 2804). This is the line at which animation will end.The next step performed by the software development tool is to select aline of source code (step 2806). The software development tool thendetermines whether the indicated line is the same as the selected line(step 2808). If the indicated line is the same as the selected line, theprocess ends. Otherwise, the software development tool determineswhether there are any more lines of source code (step 2810). If thereare more lines, the software development tool selects the next line ofsource code at step 2806. If there are no more lines, the process ends.

[0119] The software development tool may also continue the animationuntil it detects an error in the source code. In this case, while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, the software development tool compiles the line of source code,determines whether the compiled line produces an error, and of thecompiled line produces the error, the software development tool suspendsthe automated process. FIG. 29 depicts this embodiment. Initially, thesoftware development tool displays the text of the source code (step2900). The software development tool simultaneously displays thegraphical representation of the source code (step 2902). The softwaredevelopment tool then selects and compiles a line of source code (step2904). As discussed above, an external tool may also perform thecompilation. The software development tool determines whether thecompiled line of source code contains an error (step 2906). If an errorexists, the process ends. Otherwise, the software development tooldisplays a graphical representation of the selected line in a visuallydistinctive manner (step 2908). The software development tool thendetermines whether there are any more lines of source code (step 2910).If there are more lines, the software development tool compiles the nextline of source code at step 2904. Otherwise, if there are no more linesto analyze, the process ends.

[0120] While various embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that manymore embodiments and implementations are possible that are within thescope of this invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to berestricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in a data processing system, wherein thedata processing system comprises source code and the source codecomprises a plurality of lines, the method comprising the steps of:displaying a graphical representation of the source code, wherein thegraphical representation has portions that correspond to the lines;initiating an automated process that processes each of the lines; andwhile the automated process processes each of the lines, displaying theportion of the graphical representation that corresponds to the line ina visually distinctive manner such that it visually appears thatprogression of the automated process is animated.
 2. The method of claim1, further comprising the step of compiling the line before displayingthe portion of the graphical representation that corresponds to theline.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein while the automated processprocesses each of the lines, the method further comprises the step ofdisplaying the line of source code in a visually distinctive manner. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation comprises aclass diagram.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a sequence diagram.
 6. A method in a dataprocessing system, wherein the data processing system comprises sourcecode and the source code comprises a plurality of lines, the methodcomprising the steps of: displaying a graphical representation of thesource code, wherein the graphical representation has portions thatcorrespond to the lines; and for each of the lines, displaying theportion of the graphical representation that corresponds to the line ina visually distinctive manner such that it appears that progressionthrough the code is animated.
 7. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising the step of compiling the line before displaying the portionof the graphical representation that corresponds to the line.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein for each of the lines, the method furthercomprises the step of displaying the line of source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram.
 10. The method of claim 6,wherein the graphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 11. Amethod in a data processing system, wherein the data processing systemcomprises source code and the source code comprises a plurality oflines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of lines such that at least one of thelines is not represented in the graphical representation; initiating anautomated process on each of the lines of the source code; receiving anindication to suspend the automated process when the automated processencounters one of the lines that is represented in the graphicalrepresentation; and while the automated process is being performed oneach of the lines of source code, determining whether the line isrepresented in the graphical representation; and when it is determinedthat the line is represented in the graphical representation, suspendingthe automated process.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, the method further comprises the step of displaying the portion ofthe graphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein whilethe automated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, the method further comprises the step of displaying the line ofsource code in a visually distinctive manner.
 14. The method of claim11, further comprising the step of compiling the line before determiningwhether the line is represented in the graphical representation.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the graphical representation comprises aclass diagram.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a sequence diagram.
 17. A method in a dataprocessing system, wherein the data processing system comprises sourcecode and the source code comprises a plurality of lines, the methodcomprising the steps of: displaying a graphical representation of thesource code; initiating an automated process to be performed on each ofthe lines of the source code; receiving an indication to suspend theautomated process when the automated process encounters a selected oneof the lines; and while the automated process is being performed on eachof the lines of source code, determining whether the line is theselected line; and when it is determined that the line is the selectedline, suspending the automated process.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein while the automated process is being performed on each of thelines of source code, the method further comprises the step ofdisplaying the portion of the graphical representation that correspondsto the line in a visually distinctive manner such that it visuallyappears that progression of the automated process is animated.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein while the automated process is beingperformed on each of the lines of source code, the method furthercomprises the step of displaying the line of source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising thestep of compiling the line before determining whether the line is theselected line.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram.
 22. The method of claim 17,wherein the graphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 23. Amethod in a data processing system, wherein the data processing systemcomprises source code and the source code comprises a plurality oflines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code; receiving an indication of a first ofthe plurality of lines of the source code; selecting a second of theplurality of lines of the source code; determining whether the secondline is the same as the first line; and when it is determined that thesecond line is not the same as the first line, displaying the graphicalrepresentation of the second line in a visually distinctive manner. 24.The method of claim 23, wherein when it is determined that the secondline is not the same as the first line, the method further comprises thestep of displaying the second line of the source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein when it isdetermined that the second line is not the same as the first line, themethod further comprises the steps of: selecting a third of theplurality of lines of the source code; determining whether the thirdline is the same as the first line; and when it is determined that thethird line is not the same as the first line, displaying the graphicalrepresentation of the third line in a visually distinctive manner. 26.The method of claim 25, wherein when it is determined that the thirdline is not the same as the first line, the method further comprises thestep of displaying the third line of the source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram.
 28. The method of claim 23,wherein the graphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 29. Amethod in a data processing system, wherein the data processing systemcomprises source code and the source code comprises a plurality oflines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of lines such that at least one of thelines is not represented in the graphical representation; initiating anautomated process on each of the lines of the source code; while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, compiling the line; determining whether the compiled line producesan error; and when it is determined that the compiled line produces theerror, suspending the automated process.
 30. The method of claim 29,wherein while the automated process is being performed on each of thelines of source code, the method further comprises the step ofdisplaying the portion of the graphical representation that correspondsto the line in a visually distinctive manner such that it visuallyappears that progression of the automated process is animated.
 31. Themethod of claim 30, wherein while the automated process is beingperformed on each of the lines of source code, the method furthercomprises the step of displaying the line of source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 32. The method of claim 29, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram.
 33. The method of claim 29,wherein the graphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 34. Amethod in a data processing system, wherein the data processing systemcomprises source code and the source code comprises a plurality oflines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code; selecting one of the plurality oflines of the source code; compiling the selected line; determiningwhether the compiled line produces an error; and when it is determinedthat the compiled line does not produce an error, displaying thegraphical representation of the selected line in a visually distinctivemanner.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein when it is determined thatthe compiled line does not produce an error, the method furthercomprises the step of displaying the selected line of source code in avisually distinctive manner.
 36. The method of claim 34, wherein when itis determined that the compiled line does not produce an error, themethod further comprises the steps of: selecting a second of theplurality of lines of the source code; compiling the second line;determining whether the compiled second line produces an error; and whenit is determined that the compiled second line does not produce anerror, displaying the graphical representation of the second line in avisually distinctive manner.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein when itis determined that the compiled second line does not produce an error,the method further comprises the step of displaying the second line ofsource code in a visually distinctive manner.
 38. The method of claim34, wherein the graphical representation comprises a class diagram. 39.The method of claim 34, wherein the graphical representation comprises asequence diagram.
 40. A computer-readable medium containing instructionsfor controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the dataprocessing system comprises source code and the source code comprises aplurality of lines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying agraphical representation of the source code, wherein the graphicalrepresentation has portions that correspond to the lines; initiating anautomated process that processes each of the lines; and while theautomated process processes each of the lines, displaying the portion ofthe graphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 41. The computer-readable medium of claim40, wherein the method further comprises the step of compiling the linebefore displaying the portion of the graphical representation thatcorresponds to the line.
 42. The computer-readable medium of claim 40,wherein while the automated process processes each of the lines, themethod further comprises the step of displaying the line of source codein a visually distinctive manner.
 43. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 40, wherein the graphical representation comprises a classdiagram.
 44. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein thegraphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 45. Acomputer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method, the data processing systemcomprises source code and the source code comprises a plurality oflines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, wherein the graphical representationhas portions that correspond to the lines; and for each of the lines,displaying the portion of the graphical representation that correspondsto the line in a visually distinctive manner such that it appears thatprogression through the code is animated.
 46. The computer-readablemedium of claim 45, wherein the method further comprises the step ofcompiling the line before displaying the portion of the graphicalrepresentation that corresponds to the line.
 47. The computer-readablemedium of claim 45, wherein for each of the lines, the method furthercomprises the step of displaying the line of source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 48. The computer-readable medium of claim 45,wherein the graphical representation comprises a class diagram.
 49. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a sequence diagram.
 50. A computer-readablemedium containing instructions for controlling a data processing systemto perform a method, the data processing system comprises source codeand the source code comprises a plurality of lines, the methodcomprising the steps of: displaying a graphical representation of theplurality of lines such that at least one of the lines is notrepresented in the graphical representation; initiating an automatedprocess on each of the lines of the source code; receiving an indicationto suspend the automated process when the automated process encountersone of the lines that is represented in the graphical representation;and while the automated process is being performed on each of the linesof source code, determining whether the line is represented in thegraphical representation; and when it is determined that the line isrepresented in the graphical representation, suspending the automatedprocess.
 51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, the method further comprises the step of displaying the portion ofthe graphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 52. The computer-readable medium of claim51, wherein while the automated process is being performed on each ofthe lines of source code, the method further comprises the step ofdisplaying the line of source code in a visually distinctive manner. 53.The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the method furthercomprises the step of compiling the line before determining whether theline is represented in the graphical representation.
 54. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram.
 55. The computer-readablemedium of claim 50, wherein the graphical representation comprises asequence diagram.
 56. A computer-readable medium containing instructionsfor controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the dataprocessing system comprises source code and the source code comprises aplurality of lines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying agraphical representation of the source code; initiating an automatedprocess to be performed on each of the lines of the source code;receiving an indication to suspend the automated process when theautomated process encounters a selected one of the lines; and while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, determining whether the line is the selected line; and when it isdetermined that the line is the selected line, suspending the automatedprocess.
 57. The computer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein while theautomated process is being performed on each of the lines of sourcecode, the method further comprises the step of displaying the portion ofthe graphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 58. The computer-readable medium of claim57, wherein while the automated process is being performed on each ofthe lines of source code, the method further comprises the step ofdisplaying the line of source code in a visually distinctive manner. 59.The computer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein the method furthercomprises the step of compiling the line before determining whether theline is the selected line.
 60. The computer-readable medium of claim 56,wherein the graphical representation comprises a class diagram.
 61. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a sequence diagram.
 62. A computer-readablemedium containing instructions for controlling a data processing systemto perform a method, the data processing system comprises source codeand the source code comprises a plurality of lines, the methodcomprising the steps of: displaying a graphical representation of thesource code; receiving an indication of a first of the plurality oflines of the source code; selecting a second of the plurality of linesof the source code; determining whether the second line is the same asthe first line; and when it is determined that the second line is notthe same as the first line, displaying the graphical representation ofthe second line in a visually distinctive manner.
 63. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 62, wherein when it is determined thatthe second line is not the same as the first line, the method furthercomprises the step of displaying the second line of the source code in avisually distinctive manner.
 64. The computer-readable medium of claim62, wherein when it is determined that the second line is not the sameas the first line, the method further comprises the steps of: selectinga third of the plurality of lines of the source code; determiningwhether the third line is the same as the first line; and when it isdetermined that the third line is not the same as the first line,displaying the graphical representation of the third line in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 65. The computer-readable medium of claim 64,wherein when it is determined that the third line is not the same as thefirst line, the method further comprises the step of displaying thethird line of the source code in a visually distinctive manner.
 66. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 62, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram.
 67. The computer-readablemedium of claim 62, wherein the graphical representation comprises asequence diagram.
 68. A computer-readable medium containing instructionsfor controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the dataprocessing system comprises source code and the source code comprises aplurality of lines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying agraphical representation of the plurality of lines such that at leastone of the lines is not represented in the graphical representation;initiating an automated process on each of the lines of the source code;while the automated process is being performed on each of the lines ofsource code, compiling the line; determining whether the compiled lineproduces an error; and when it is determined that the compiled lineproduces the error, suspending the automated process.
 69. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein while the automatedprocess is being performed on each of the lines of source code, themethod further comprises the step of displaying the portion of thegraphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 70. The computer-readable medium of claim69, wherein while the automated process is being performed on each ofthe lines of source code, the method further comprises the step ofdisplaying the line of source code in a visually distinctive manner. 71.The computer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a class diagram .
 72. The computer-readablemedium of claim 68, wherein the graphical representation comprises asequence diagram.
 73. A computer-readable medium containing instructionsfor controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the dataprocessing system comprises source code and the source code comprises aplurality of lines, the method comprising the steps of: displaying agraphical representation of the source code; selecting one of theplurality of lines of the source code; compiling the selected line;determining whether the compiled line produces an error; and when it isdetermined that the compiled line does not produce an error, displayingthe graphical representation of the selected line in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 74. The computer-readable medium of claim 73,wherein when it is determined that the compiled line does not produce anerror, the method further comprises the step of displaying the selectedline of source code in a visually distinctive manner.
 75. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 73, wherein when it is determined thatthe compiled line does not produce an error, the method furthercomprises the steps of: selecting a second of the plurality of lines ofthe source code; compiling the second line; determining whether thecompiled second line produces an error; and when it is determined thatthe compiled second line does not produce an error, displaying thegraphical representation of the second line in a visually distinctivemanner.
 76. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein when it isdetermined that the compiled second line does not produce an error, themethod further comprises the step of displaying the second line ofsource code in a visually distinctive manner.
 77. The computer-readablemedium of claim 73, wherein the graphical representation comprises aclass diagram.
 78. The computer-readable medium of claim 73, wherein thegraphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 79. A dataprocessing system comprising: a secondary storage device furthercomprising source code wherein the source code comprises a plurality oflines; a memory device further comprising a program that displays agraphical representation of the plurality of lines such that at leastone of the lines is not represented in the graphical representation,that initiates an automated process on each of the lines of the sourcecode, that receives an indication to suspend the automated process whenthe automated process encounters one of the lines that is represented inthe graphical representation, and while the automated process is beingperformed on each of the lines of source code, the program determineswhether the line is represented in the graphical representation, andwhen it is determined that the line is represented in the graphicalrepresentation, the program suspends the automated process; and aprocessor for running the program.
 80. The data processing system ofclaim 79, wherein while the automated process is being performed on eachof the lines of source code, the program further displays the portion ofthe graphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 81. The data processing system of claim80, wherein while the automated process is being performed on each ofthe lines of source code, the program further displays the line ofsource code in a visually distinctive manner.
 82. The data processingsystem of claim 79, wherein the program further compiles the line beforedetermining whether the line is represented in the graphicalrepresentation.
 83. The data processing system of claim 79, wherein thegraphical representation comprises a class diagram.
 84. The dataprocessing system of claim 79, wherein the graphical representationcomprises a sequence diagram.
 85. A data processing system comprising: asecondary storage device further comprising source code wherein thesource code comprises a plurality of lines; a memory device furthercomprising a program that displays a graphical representation of thesource code, that initiates an automated process to be performed on eachof the lines of the source code, that receives an indication to suspendthe automated process when the automated process encounters a selectedone of the lines, and while the automated process is being performed oneach of the lines of source code, the program determines whether theline is the selected line, and when it is determined that the line isthe selected line, the program suspends the automated process; and aprocessor for running the program.
 86. The data processing system ofclaim 85, wherein while the automated process is being performed on eachof the lines of source code, the program further displays the portion ofthe graphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated.
 87. The data processing system of claim86, wherein while the automated process is being performed on each ofthe lines of source code, the program further displays the line ofsource code in a visually distinctive manner.
 88. The data processingsystem of claim 85, wherein the program further compiles the line beforedetermining whether the line is the selected line.
 89. The dataprocessing system of claim 85, wherein the graphical representationcomprises a class diagram.
 90. The data processing system of claim 85,wherein the graphical representation comprises a sequence diagram.
 91. Adata processing system comprising: a secondary storage device furthercomprising source code wherein the source code comprises a plurality oflines; a memory device further comprising a program that displays agraphical representation of the source code, that receives an indicationof a first of the plurality of lines of the source code, that selects asecond of the plurality of lines of the source code, that determineswhether the second line is the same as the first line, and when it isdetermined that the second line is not the same as the first line, theprogram displays the graphical representation of the second line in avisually distinctive manner; and a processor for running the program.92. The data processing system of claim 91, wherein when it isdetermined that the second line is not the same as the first line, theprogram further displays the second line of the source code in avisually distinctive manner.
 93. The data processing system of claim 91,wherein when it is determined that the second line is not the same asthe first line, the program further selects a third of the plurality oflines of the source code, determines whether the third line is the sameas the first line, and when it is determined that the third line is notthe same as the first line, the program displays the graphicalrepresentation of the third line in a visually distinctive manner. 94.The data processing system of claim 93, wherein when it is determinedthat the third line is not the same as the first line, the programfurther displays the third line of the source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 95. The data processing system of claim 91, whereinthe graphical representation comprises a class diagram.
 96. The dataprocessing system of claim 91, wherein the graphical representationcomprises a sequence diagram.
 97. A data processing system comprising: asecondary storage device further comprising source code wherein thesource code comprises a plurality of lines; a memory device furthercomprising a program that displays a graphical representation of theplurality of lines such that at least one of the lines is notrepresented in the graphical representation, that initiates an automatedprocess on each of the lines of the source code, while the automatedprocess is being performed on each of the lines of source code, theprogram compiles the line, determines whether the compiled line producesan error, and when it is determined that the compiled line produces theerror, the program suspends the automated process; and a processor forrunning the program.
 98. The data processing system of claim 97, whereinwhile the automated process is being performed on each of the lines ofsource code, the program further displays the portion of the graphicalrepresentation that corresponds to the line in a visually distinctivemanner such that it visually appears that progression of the automatedprocess is animated.
 99. The data processing system of claim 98, whereinwhile the automated process is being performed on each of the lines ofsource code, the program further displays the line of source code in avisually distinctive manner.
 100. The data processing system of claim97, wherein the graphical representation comprises a class diagram. 101.The data processing system of claim 97, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a sequence diagram.
 102. A data processingsystem comprising: a secondary storage device further comprising sourcecode wherein the source code comprises a plurality of lines; a memorydevice further comprising a program that displays a graphicalrepresentation of the source code, that selects one of the plurality oflines of the source code; that compiles the selected line, thatdetermines whether the compiled line produces an error, and when it isdetermined that the compiled line does not produce an error, the programdisplays the graphical representation of the selected line in a visuallydistinctive manner; and a processor for running the program.
 103. Thedata processing system of claim 102, wherein when it is determined thatthe compiled line does not produce an error, the program furtherdisplays the selected line of source code in a visually distinctivemanner.
 104. The data processing system of claim 102, wherein when it isdetermined that the compiled line does not produce an error, the programfurther selects a second of the plurality of lines of the source code,compiles the second line, determines whether the compiled second lineproduces an error, and when it is determined that the compiled secondline does not produce an error, the program displays the graphicalrepresentation of the second line in a visually distinctive manner. 105.The data processing system of claim 104, wherein when it is determinedthat the compiled second line does not produce an error, the programfurther displays the second line of source code in a visuallydistinctive manner.
 106. The data processing system of claim 102,wherein the graphical representation comprises a class diagram.
 107. Thedata processing system of claim 102, wherein the graphicalrepresentation comprises a sequence diagram.
 108. A system having sourcecode wherein the source code comprises a plurality of lines, the systemcomprising: means for displaying a graphical representation of thesource code, wherein the graphical representation has portions thatcorrespond to the lines; means for initiating an automated process thatprocesses each of the lines; and means for displaying the portion of thegraphical representation that corresponds to the line in a visuallydistinctive manner such that it visually appears that progression of theautomated process is animated while the automated process processes eachof the lines.